Help the Nevel Family Endure a Loss of a Father to Cancer

Hi all! I’m starting a GoFundMe for my next-door neighbor. Just over a month ago, my neighbor let me know her husband had awakened her in the middle of the night bleeding badly. Emily, my neighbor, rushed her husband, Gerry, to the emergency room. Several days later, he had to have his colon resected and a colostomy bag put in. She had to quit working to take care of him. He cannot work now until he recovers. They have two sons, one is still young. Here is their story, written by Emily Nevel:

“On August 6th of 2024, Gerry went into the hospital. Initially, they thought he was having a stroke or that his titanium heart valve was malfunctioning. For 2 months after this incident, he dealt with severe lethargy, tachycardia, and constantly feeling as if he was about to faint. Finally, his doctor asked for blood work, and it showed that his hemoglobin was dangerously low, and he was in need of a lot of blood. That day, he received 3 bags of blood and felt almost immediately better. Then came a GI bleed that they didn't know he had, and on November 20th, they corrected the issues during a colonoscopy and endoscopy but found that he also has a genetic condition called F.A.P and had thousands of polyps throughout his stomach. After seeing this, they knew he needed colorectal surgery as soon as possible. They referred us to a surgeon at UC Davis and got everything rolling. His surgery was set for February 20th of 2025. On February 18th, Gerry ended up back in the hospital very early in the morning with a lot of blood coming out of him. He was at the hospital about 12 hours when they finally said he needed to get to UC Davis ASAP as they wouldn’t take a transfer because they had no beds available. I picked him up, and we drove immediately to UC Davis with our 6-year-old and got him checked into the E.R. He was in there for 2 days before they did his surgery on the 20th. Gerry was doing well after the surgery, but 2 days later, he ran into complications, which set back the clock for him (and us as his family) to be able to go home. While down there, we, his wife, son, and father, stayed in hotels to remain close to him. Eventually, Gerry's father went home when he knew his son was doing well and took the 6-year-old home with him. Gerry ended up getting better day by day but still had a long road ahead of him. He was finally released from UC Davis on March 3rd, almost 2 weeks later. Finally, they were home, and things were going well, until a week later, Gerry was back in the hospital with severe pain in his abdomen and back. New CT scans now show lesions on his liver that have been biopsied, and we are waiting on results to see if it is cancer and if so, what stage and how to be treated. He and I are both currently unemployed and have been dealing with disability and unemployment for months to no avail. Any help would be so very much appreciated.”

These are my neighbors, but they’re also my friends. I’ve never had neighbors who have truly had my back before, like Emily and Gerry have had mine. I was sick for 5 years with Lyme Disease, and they put my garbage cans out on the street, did my yard work without me asking, baked me cupcakes to cheer me up, helped me when my plumbing overflowed, and helped me however they could. I want to be able to help them now that they have run into such a scary situation. Please consider helping Gerry, Emily, Carson, and Kayden Nevel. 

UPDATE TO MAIN STORY: Gerry passed away last week, I’m very sorry to say. He went to Heaven on Monday, May 19th at 5:55pm @ Adventist Health, Sonora, CA. I will post information on his “Celebration of Life” memorial as soon as I have a date and time. Please consider helping Emily and the boys, as she is left with no job to pay the bills, two growing boys, tons of hospital bills that weren’t fully covered by insurance…and now she must plan a funeral. She, herself, is still recovering from a car accident (not her fault) that left her unable to stand up straight until she had surgery. I can’t even imagine how overwhelmed she must feel right now. She’s lost the love of her life. Can you please help her family? Or at least share this fundraiser on Social Media? She would be grateful for any help at all.